Reach the Beach 2012: Part 3

After a blissful 2.5 hours of sleep at Julie and Lisa’s, I got a call letting me know Van 2 was an hour away from the next VTA. We hopped out of bed, thoroughly enjoyed getting to brush our teeth and wash up in a real bathroom. Julie and Lisa had even done a 5 am bagel run. They seriously are the best! We chugged some coffee and stuffed down bagels and we back in the van. By this time, the back of the van was a total disaster. You couldn’t get anything out without having to move everything!

It was a close call at the VTA. We passed our runner from Van 2 less than ¼ of a mile from the hand-off, so poor Jimi had to hop out of the van and start running after him to catch him. He didn’t even get to use the bathroom. We flew through our last rotation. Jimi handed off to Carissa. He looked done by the end of his leg.

Carissa handed off to Jason, who tackled his 8 mile leg like a champ. I would not want my last leg to be the longest! Jason passed to Eileen. Eileen handed off to me at a great TA, where a boisterous Santa was cheering the runners in.  

 Then I was off. It was warm and sunny again and my leg had more hills, but none of it bothered me. Just 4 miles and I would be done. We really went crazy showing the love to our vanmates on our last leg, and my leg was no exception. I felt like an elite runner with my choice of water and Gateorade, my own personal pump me up song playing (Some Nights by Fun), and customized cheers as I passed my van at 2 miles.  

 I held a 9 min/mile pace and cart-wheeled into my last TA. Leg 3 done!

 I handed off to Tim who rocked the jester costume for his last leg. 

When Tim finished we were officially done. Van 1 is the coolest!

After pictures we headed for the closest Dunkin Donuts. Ice coffee never tasted so good! Then we were beach bound! We reached the Beach!

We were all set to grab a beer and the amazing looking Baloco bowls at the end when we got a call from Van 2. Rich had gone down during his last leg. Gene and Dave had caught him and got him to the med tent, but they didn’t know what was wrong yet. We grabbed lids for our meals and ran for the van. We needed to go pick-up Henry who was stranded at the end of his leg. We hopped in the van and we almost out of Hampton Beach when the other van called us back. They didn’t need us after-all. Rich was dehydrated and had heat stroke, but was already doing better after some fluids. They were taking him to the hospital just in case and the rest of Van 2 was back on the road. Talk about leaving it all out on the road and sacrificing yourself for the team. Rich, we love ya!

So we went back to the beach and hung out down by the water. The ocean was frigid! I made myself stay in until my feet were numb because I figured it would be good recovery. About an hour later the Van 2 crew arrived and we stood by the finish waiting for our last runner to come in so we could cross the finish together. Except we got busy talking and totally missed him until he was across the line. Oops! 

We stood in the sand after the finish and did our private medal ceremony that has become our tradition. And then I headed home, sandy, exhausted, and so happy.  Reach the Beach 2012 was in the bag. Sole Sacrifice finished in 27:55:04, with an average pace of 8:15, good for 155th place.

Reach the Beach 2012: Part 2

Hello from somewhere between Chicago and California. After one short day at home yesterday, I’m back on the road, heading to Anaheim for work for the week. At least getting up and running in the dark at 3 am this morning before my flight didn’t feel so usual because RTB got me used to little sleep and night time running.

When I left off my last recap our van had just finished our first rotation. We headed to Delaney’s Hole in wall in North Conway. I’ve been there before and love it because they have a little bit of everything. We ordered a round of chocolate milk (best recovery drink ever) as we studied the menu. I SO wanted the bacon, turkey, avocado, and caramelized onions on garlic Texas toast, but I didn’t think that would settle very well. I didn’t want a repeat of 2 years ago when I ate 3 giant pieces of BBQ chicken pizza and then had to run sooner than I thought. I ended up throwing up most of the pizza on the side of the road during my run! So I stuck with plain grilled chicken on a bun and asparagus. Not exciting, but safe. 

mmm food makes us happy!

 After dinner we headed to the next VTA to hang out until it was our turn to run again. It was only 8:30ish, but I was feeling sleepy. I knew I was going to be awake until at least 4 am, so I decided to try and catch some sleep. I took my sleeping bag out into a field, crawled inside, and actually fell asleep. All the travel for work has made me much better at sleeping in strange places. It was really nice actually, sleeping out under the stars.

I was woken up later by one of my teammates yelling my name. I guess he couldn’t tell which dark sleeping bag clad lump I was in the field.  It was fully dark at this point, and our lights on the van looked super cool. 

We all put on our night reflective gear to be safe. Also, a porta potty at night without a headlamp is a dangerous place! 

Then we were on the road again. I woke up just a little hungry, so I ate a ¼ of a bagel with peanut butter and jelly to fuel up for my leg.

I was most nervous about my night leg. It was 9 miles with a LOT of uphill. I wasn’t sure how my legs would feel after hammering my first downhill leg, and I had a feeling I’d be pretty tired overall since it was 2 am when I started! Apparently preparing for it to completely suck was a good idea, because when I actually started it didn’t seem so bad. Yes the first 2 miles were brutal. It was a long ass steep uphill. But I knew it would be there and I just put my head down and slogged up it. After the uphill we turned off onto a side road which was nice rolling hills. It was dark on the side road which made the stars overhead seem super bright. I remember why I used to love running in the dark. I feel fast. It feels easy. It is just me and my breath. I can’t see my Garmin so I am not obsessing over distance and pace, and I can’t see far in front of me so I can’t worry about the hill I see looming in the future.

I was very glad to regain this sense of peace and happiness on my night leg. Last year I hated my night leg. It wasn’t long after I was attacked from behind while running, and so I was still very skittish. Last year I started on a trail and I was so freaked out in the dark woods by myself. Then I proceeded onto this creepy back country road and I hardly saw any other runners or vans. I was terrified the entire time. This year there were a lot more runners and vans all around me. I still jump and freeze up when I hear footsteps coming up behind me. So here is a tip for all your super fast runners. If you are passing another runner, especially in the dark, say something nice to them as you come up behind them and pass. Don’t just blow by, brushing their shoulder.

The 9 miles went much faster than I anticipated and I feel pretty darn good. I had resolved my chafing issue on my bottom half, so naturally I then had an issue on my top half. The blinkies weighed down my reflective vest and made it rub against my neck. It looks like a vampire bit me because I have 2 matching red wounds on each side of my neck.  I held a solid 9:30 pace which was pretty decent given the dark and the hills. I tried to push it and drop sub 9 for the last mile, but my plan was foiled when the last mile turned out to be uphill. Really? Who planned that?

 I ran into the TA around 3:30 and handed off to Tim. My hardest leg done!

The checkmark photo had to wait to the next morning when it was light out

 And even better, after Tim was done we were going to get to sleep on real beds and use a real bathroom. Good family friends of ours, Julie and Lisa, bought a house in Deerfield, not far from the race course, last fall. I felt so bad when we got there because they had misunderstood and thought we were coming the next night! But they were amazing. They pulled out the couch bed, opened up the foutons, and blew up the air mattresses in no time. We gratefully collapsed onto them and passed out in about 3 seconds. 

Reach the Beach 2012 Part 1

Phew, I am home briefly (got home from RTB late last night and I am leaving for California at 4 am tomorrow morning). Reach the Beach 2012 was a blast and there is far too much for one post, so I'll break it up into 3 posts.

I met half the team at Hampton Beach on Thursday evening. My first year I ran with a random team from PA that I found on the RTB forum, but since then I've run with the team I helped found- Sole Sacrifice. There is a core group of 5-6 of us that do it every year. It's the only time all year I see these guys, so it is great to catch up. We met the rest of the team at our condo for the night up at Bretton Woods. We had quite a few new people this year and they were all great!

Friday morning we were up early to decorate the vans and have breakfast. It was a rare fall morning, warm and clear. The view from the condo was spectacular.

Eileen went crazy with the decorations this year, so our vans were totally pimped out.

 I LOVED the purple christmas lights because it made it so easy to find the van in the dark. No wandering around a giant parking lot full of white vans trying to find MY van. And of course, as always, we had our rubber chicken antenna decoration. We stole the chicken from a team 4 years ago and still have it!

Then it was time to head to Cannon Mountain for the start. It was kinda crazy as usual, but so much nicer this year because it was warm. Last year I had on about 8 layers and was still freezing!

We got all checked in and had time for some team photos.

 Then it was 11:40 and time for the start. After starting the last 2 years, I was ready to run. But it was Jimi starting us off and I had to wait.

 Jimi went out like a bullet and then we were on the road. I was good teammate, passing out water and giving some love out on the road. Around 3 pm, it was finally my turn to run. Although I had been enjoying the warm sunshine all day, it was a little too warm for running. I was HOT!

My first leg was 5.5 miles with a lot of downhill. I wore my Garmin but didn't use it for pacing. I just ran what felt good. After being very discouraged with my pace lately, I was thrilled to look down and see I was holding an 8:30 pace. I ended up running with a guy from Portland for 3 miles. It was nice to have some company. We got separated when we both stopped to get water from our teams, so I ran the last 2.5 alone. I felt good- strong and comfortable, except for some major chafing issues. I won't go into too many details but my clothing on my bottom half was not working with me.

And then I was done. I walked around for a minute and then hopped in the van to head to our last TA in our rotation. Round 1 done!

Reach the Beach NH: Runner 5

Each year I've done RTB, I've done different legs. My first year I was runner 10, my second I was runner 8, my third I was runner 1, and my fourth I was runner 1 again but we only had 9 runners so the rotation was different.

Runner 1.... starting us off right last year!

This year I am runner 5. Here is what my legs are looking like:

Leg 5: 5.50 miles: easy [map] Still more downhill awaits the runners of Leg 5, though not as steep. Be wary of the logging trucks that travel this main thoroughfare from the north woods of New Hampshire and Maine.

Commentary: This I think will be a breeze. I will be fresh and excited. And I love downhills!


Leg 17: 8.98 miles: hard [map] Leg 17 leaves transition area #17, crosses the dock area of Lake Winnipesaukee, and then climbs steeply for about a mile before turning right onto Route 106 (also known as Parade Road) and heads into Laconia. You follow this road passed The Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and continue until you hit Lexington Drive where you will turn right. You will follow for about .4 mile until you arrive at New Hampshire Ball Bearing on your right.

Commentary: This is the leg I am dreading. It is probably going to be around 2 am so it will be dark and lonely. It is still quiet hours so my team won't be able to play loud music to pump me up.  I will be tired, my legs won't be as fresh. I've seen these hills and they are long and steep!

Leg 29: 4.08 miles: moderate QUIET ZONE! [map] Leg 29 follows Route 121A for about 1.9 miles and turns left onto Hawkwood Road. It stays on this road for about 2 miles before becoming Colbey Road. It intersects with Rt. 111A where the runners will turn left. Use caution crossing this road. You will follow Rt. 111A for about .1 mile and transition at the Danville Baptist Church on the right.

Commentary: Boo another quiet zone. I like it loud! 4 downhillish miles, usually no big deal. But after already running 14.5 miles, not sleeping, and likely haven eaten a lot of crap, the last leg is always hard.

Packing for Reach the Beach: Relay Race Packing Tips

I am heading out to Reach the Beach New Hampshire tomorrow which means that today is packing day! I always try to pack a day before I leave so that I have time to remember all the stuff I forgot before I leave! This will be my fifth RTB and I can't wait! Each year I've learned something new about what to bring and what not to bring- here are my tips:

1. You will want a clean outfit for each leg you are running. Putting a cold sweaty sports bra back on later is not fun. My favorite trick is to put together each outfit (top, bottom, sports bra, underwear, and socks) and then put them in a giant ziplock bag. That way, when I'm trying to get dressed in the dark in the back of the van I can easily find everything I need. After my run, when I change out of the outfit, I seal it all back in the bag to minimize the stink factor in the van.




2. Bring warmer clothes than you think you'll need. It gets COLD at night. I bring fleece pants, wool socks, and a warm coat.






3. Don't pack TOO much. You will just make the van overcrowded. This is not a fashion contest, so I basically just bring one warmer weather and one cooler weather outfit for between legs.

4. Bring double the required safety gear required. Stuff inevitably gets lost or broken and it's hard to find replacements in the middle of the race. It's also nice to have 2 complete sets of safety stuff so that you don't have to switch any gear from one runner to another at the hand-off.

5. Pack snacks, but don't try to bring complete meals. Our first year we carried enough food to feed all of us for 3 days. It took up a ton of space and most of it didn't get eaten. Bring snacks to tide you over and to eat immediately pre/post run, but there will plenty of other opportunities to buy food. It's nice to have one sit down real meal at a restaurant and groups are selling food to raise money at all the transition areas. The towns that the race go through put up with a lot of disruption, so it is nice to support them. Nothing tastes better at 2 am when it is freezing out than hot homemade mac and cheese!

Have you ever done a relay style race? What tips do you have?

Bagel Run and some apple picking

This morning I woke up craving a breakfast sandwich made on a bagel from Scratch Baking Company. They are the best bagels every. Crunchy outside, light inside, with lots of fun seeds and flavors on the everything bagel.

But I knew by the time I ran, came back, did some abs, stretched and showered, I would have lost motivation. So I strapped on my super sweet running fanny pack and made a stop at Scratch during my run. Yep, I sacrificed my dignity for some bagels.

I tend to be annoyingly literal. When I am running, I am running. Everything else has to wait. Really this is stupid. It's not like I am anywhere close to an elite runner. Stopping for 3 minutes to admire the ocean view or stuff my bagels in my fanny pack is not going to totally derail my run. The stop was a good decision- the breakfast sandwiches were awesome.

After I was fueled and caffeinated we headed out apple picking. The air cooled off a lot with the thundershowers we had overnight, so it felt like fall. Apple picking is a fall ritual I look forward to every year. Fresh picked apples and cider are the best. The trees were just loaded this year!

 Normally I eat myself sick when we go apple picking. I like to try an apple from every tree. I managed to have some impulse control today. Win for me.

 We did some tree climbing, even though there were plenty of apples within reachable height. Climbing the tree is just more fun. We filled our giant 1/2 bushel bag in no time. On our way out we had to stop to buy one of the giant pumpkin whoopie pies we saw when we bought our bag at the beginning. So much for the self control. It was an awesome whoopie pie- the pumpkin cake part was so moist and there was plenty of frosting. We polished it off before I could get a pic.

Tonight we are whipping up some apple crisp. But I'll still have a lot of apples left!

What else can I do with all my apples?

Road Warrior no More

For the past 2 years as a consultant I was traveling 90-100% of the time. At my job before that, for 5 year, I was on the road a good 50-70% of the time. So I have a been a road warrior for a good long time. I hit 50,000 miles flown for this year by May.

When I first started traveling for work, I loved it. I got to see so many different places for free. 

Free wine tasting at Korbel in Sonoma while on a trip? Ummm yes please.

I racked up a bunch of frequent flier and hotel points that I could use for fun vacations. It was a nice change of pace from sitting at the same desk all day every day. I had very few living expenses at home, since I was never home.

Driving through the giant redwoods on my way to a hospital. Not bad. 

 

 

But after awhile, the travel began to get old. I was tired of living out of a suitcase. I was tired of standing in security lines, being frisked, the endless delays at the airport, being smushed on an airplane all the time, and living on restaurant food. It started to take a toll on my health. I really tried to eat well, but it is just so hard when you can never cook healthy food at home. I tried to be very regular with my exercise, but those 15 hour travel days and hotels with no gyms made it pretty hard. I did manage to train for several marathons while traveling that much, but it pretty much sucked. Doing a long run immediately after getting off a red eye is not fun. Getting on a plane a few hours after finishing a 20 miler does nothing to help with recovery.

But mostly, the travel started to take a toll on my relationships. I was home just enough to see my friends and family enough so they remembered who I was. When it came to romantic relationships though, it was pretty impossible. I'd meet someone new who seemed really promising and then after a month or two it would just fizzle. It is hard to move to the next level when you see each other maybe once a week. 

So, last week I accepted a new consulting gig that has me working at home 95% of the time. Being home all the time is almost mind boggling to me. I don't think the work will be all that exciting, but at this point I think this is the right thing for me to do.

I love my house that I bought nearly a year ago. I want to spend time in it and have the time to tackle all the little projects I want to do. 

Hey house. Remember me? I own you.

I love where I live. I want to be here to enjoy it.

Yes Portland. I heart you. So much.

I am in the best relationship I've ever been in. I think that's partly because I got to work at home so much this summer. We really got to know each other. Maybe it isn't very modern or feminist of me, but at this point in my life I need to focus on my relationship. Getting married and having kids at some point is something I really want.

We are grossly cute. Even if we don't take good pictures. 

What do you think? Was this a good decision? Are you a road warrior or a homebody?

Labor Day Islesboro Trip Part 2

Monday morning I woke up early, since we'd gone to by 9 pm! I decided to go for a run before everyone else got up. It was another glorious run where I was just so happy to be out moving that the time flew by.

When I got back Gerry had a roaring fire going and water heating for hot chocolate. Mmmm there is just something magical about a hot drink around a fire in the morning. We wanted to get an early start because the wind and seas tend to pick up as, but the tide was not cooperating. It was dead low. There was an awful lot of mud flat between us and our boat.

Cousin Rob to the rescue! He drove Gerry, R, and all our crap to the town dock while my Mom and I schlepped the zodiak out over the mud to the boat. Typical men, leaving the women to do the hard work! Just kidding, we volunteered, since we are the lightest we figured we would get less mired in the mud. We got mired enough to completely ruin my sneakers though, they were totally caked in thick, smelly mud. MMMMM.

Once we had the men and the gear loaded we set off again. The clouds of the early morning had dissipated, leaving us with with beautiful day.

The sun was bright and again the water was amazingly smooth. We decided to take a longer route home and do some exploring. We headed through the Fox Island thoroughfare and went out around North Haven  and Vinalhaven. It was spectacular. For awhile we had 8 seals swimming right around our boat. We saw a lot of harbor porpoise too.


We found a place to tie up on North Haven and R and I went in search off coffee and bathrooms. We didn't find coffee, but we found a great little cafe and decided it would be a good chance to get lunch. It was good food- not your typical fried seafood fish shack. I got a black bean burger topped with pineapple sauce, local microgreens, and green goddess dressing on a fresh roll. Yum-o! We basked in the sun on the boat and enjoyed our lunch before setting off again.

Gerry wanted to visit his step-brother on the way back, so our next stop was Whitehead Island. While Gerry visited, R and I explored the lighthouse. Besides almost getting mauled by an unfriendly dog, it was interesting. The Whitehead light was the 7th lighthouse ever commissioned in the US and was built in 1803!

Our last stop of the day was in Tenant's Harbor for fuel where my Mom's college friend owns a restaurant and fuel dock, Cod's End.  We couldn't resist getting a piece of their famous pie while we were there.

Raspberry peach and wild Maine blueberry topped with fresh blueberry ice cream. Holy Moly! It put me into a pie coma.

The last hour home was just a little rough. Standing up in a moving boat on moderate seas counts as a core workout right?

We finally pulled back into Cape Newagen Harbor in the late afternoon. I felt as if we'd been gone for a week since we pack in so much activity! It was a great, great trip, even with the rain. I feel so amazingly blessed to live in such an amazing place, have such amazing family, and finally be in a relationship that makes me happier than any relationship I've ever been in. Life is good.

Labor Day Islesboro Trip Part 1

The second half of my Labor Day Weekend was just as wonderful as the first part, if not better. I went on a great boat/camping adventure with my boyfriend (the mysterious R), my Mom, and her boyfriend Gerry. R actually grew up on Islesboro and my Mom's cousins live there as well, so it has significance for all of us.

We headed to my Mom's house Saturday night so we'd be ready to go set off bright and early Sunday morning.

We set off Sunday morning with the boat fully loaded. It is amazing how much crap you need for 1 night!

The first hour of the trip was nice. It was a mix of sun and clouds, but the water was calm, calm, calm. It was chilly though. I started off in shorts in a tank top, but quickly added a long sleeve shirt and jacket once we were underway. Thanks to our new GPS and Gerry's vast knowledge, I safely navigated us into Port Clyde for some breakfast at the Port Clyde General Store. Hot coffee and breakfast sandwiches taste extra good on a boat.

The weather forecast was for a mix of sun and clouds with a 20% chance of rain. Apparently the 20% was directly above us. Soon after we left Port Clyde it started to sprinkle. That soon turned into a steady rain. I was freezing! I pulled pants on over my shorts and switched my sandals for sneakers. We all huddled in the middle of the boat under the bimini and put up the side curtains to try and stay a little drier. The visibility wasn't great, but luckily Gerry is amazing and kept us on course.

2 hours later we finally got to Islesboro! And it was still raining.......  My Mom's cousin Rob and his daughter took the ferry over to meet us and he was definitely our savior. The tide was high so we were able to pull the boat right up the shore by his land where we would be camping. With his help, we unloaded the boat and ran the gear up to his little camp shack so it wouldn't get too soaked. Then Gerry took the boat back out the mooring. Poor guy got stuck out there for 2 hours! It started pouring and there was thunder and lightning, so he didn't want to be out in the open water in the little inflatable dingy.

The rest of us huddled in the shed and had a little picnic. It wasn't super fancy, but it was sure better than being outside or stuck out on the boat like Gerry. Then, since it was still pouring, Rob drove R and I around the island so R could show me the house he grew up in and other things from his childhood. Finally, mid afternoon the rain finally stopped. Yippee! R and I went for a walk down to Big Tree Beach, where I learned that I can't skip a rock for the life of me. Also, i throw like a girl.

After huddling on the boat and in the shed all day, I was itching to stretch my legs, so I decided to go for a short run. I have been stuck in a rut with running lately. I just haven't wanted to do it. I am tired of my routes and it just feels like a chore. On Islesboro, I rediscovered the joy of running. I ran because I wanted to. I discovered that my i-pod which has been in the process of dying, now doesn't work at all, and I didn't care. I loved running with just the sound of the ocean and my footsteps in my ears. I felt light, my stride felt smooth, and I couldn't stop grinning.

 After my run it was time to set up camp. We got the tents up and built a campfire. Campfires are definitely the best part of camping.

I was seriously starving by the time we started making dinner, so I mowed down on a million pretzel things as we cooked. We also had a super classy cocktail hour with the assortment of nips I found in kitchen and packed for us. Dinner was amazing, pulled BBQ chicken on cheese toast. Hot and gooey and filling. Perfect camping food. We topped it all off with classy s'mores- toast marshmallow on TJ's dark chocolate with caramel and salt and pretzel thins. It was a great combo of salty, sweet, soft, and crunchy. I forgot how much I love toasted marshmallows. I ate about 7.

After dinner we sat around the campfire singing. We left the lantern on the boat, so we didn't have a whole lot of options for entertainment! By 8:30 we were all falling asleep after such an early morning. So we crawled into our tents and snuggled in for the night. I fell asleep to the sound of owls and the ocean.

Part 2 coming tomorrow...

Painting Class and a Bike Ride

My Labor Day weekend is off to a great start and it isn't even half over yet. I heart 3 day weekends.

Last night my friend Breezy and I went to an art class at Artascope studios. I have zero artistic talent when it comes to painting or drawing, but it was cheap thanks to Groupon and BYOB so it couldn't be all bad. The studio was very cute and our instructor Sarah, was fun and knowledgeable. There were 4 other women in our class and they brought some yummy munchies for us all to share. Breezy and I were oh so classy with our cake vodka and Crystal Light in a Nalgene!

 

We were making a painting of poppies, which is nice because there was some room for interpretation. Sarah suggested when sketching out the design to do it upside down. It helps you to focus on the shapes and lines without worrying too much about the overall result. It really did help! Once we had the outline sketched, we pained in the background. I obviously went with blue, since it is the best color ever. Then, we started with our darkest colors and worked to the lightest colors. It surprised me how much fun it was, and that my result wasn't totally embarrassing!

After painting we decided to drive out to the beach to see the full moon. Unfortunately, it was cloudy, so the moon pictures were a fail. Oh well. It was still a nice night for a walk on the beach.

This morning I hooked up with the Casco Bay Cycle Club for a ride. Since I moved back to Maine I have been running and riding alone. I have also been doing basically small variations of the same ride. And while it is beautiful, I am pretty darn sick of it. I was excited to ride with a group again and check out a new area. On the schedule today was a 36 mile ride from Yarmouth out to Pineland Farms. I x-c ski at Pineland, but have never been there in the non-winter months. It was a perfect day, sunny but crisp, on nice rolling hills on country roads. The miles just flew by with people to talk to. I definitely pushed myself a little more than I do on my own, but I didn't ever feel like I was working uncomfortably hard. We stopped at Pineland about halfway through. I love their little market. I wanted to buy everything. Luckily, I only had $2 so I bought a banana and coffee. I wished I had gone for the giant chocolate chip cookies after I saw everyone else eating them.

 The coffee must have been really strong, because I felt awesome on the second half. I was riding up front with the big boys.

Now I have some packing to do. I am leaving late tonight on a boating/camping adventure. My Mom, her boyfriend, my boyfriend, and his dog are going to try to take our boat all the way up the coast to Islesboro and camp for the night. If you don't hear from me by Tuesday, call the Coast Guard!